Cold-ironing project in five European ports
Five North Sea ports – Antwerp, Bremen, Hamburg, Haropa (including Le Havre) and Rotterdam– have revealed plans to make the shipping industry cleaner by providing 14,000 teu containerships or larger moored in their hubs with power from the shore (cold ironing) by 2028, which lowers nitrogen and CO2 emissions.
Not all containerships have shore-power connections, but new vessels in the 14,000 teu or larger segment are increasingly fitted with them. The partners have signed a memorandum of understanding and called for the international regulation of cold ironing, so that ports spearheading sustainability don’t lose their competitive position.
Allard Castelein, the CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, pointed out that this collaborative international effort comes on top of “shore-based power supply for inland vessels at all public berths in our port area.” The new scheme will reduce costs and speed up the application of power from the shore, whilst still maintaining a level playing field between ports, he added.